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What should I do to get colleges to notice me?
I've been wondering this recently, I've joined a few clubs as a way of community service, I have good grades, and I was thinking that I could submit some sort of music audition to get in, but I feel like there's more I can do.
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Blakely A.’s Answer
Hi Emily! Sorry for the long winded response but I think it could help:
Way to go for looking ahead and preparing for college applications! The answer on this depends on a lot of factors, some of which are what degree/area you're interested in and the schools' requirements. One thing to keep in mind is that colleges are not only looking at how you've performed in the past, but also how your past experiences could potentially set you up to make an impact in the future. Look it at this lens: what can you bring to the campus that could help THEM benefit in some way. If it's being super skilled musically as you mentioned, try diving deeper into that and seeing what types of leadership opportunities they have in that department. When writing application essays you can hone in on how you want to make an impact and tie in your past experience as support.
If you want to pursue a certain career path, think of how you want to make an impact in that field and share your vision. This shows colleges you have the potential to do work that could bring them potential prestige or even funding. It sounds like you've already put in a lot of really great work during high school, and I urge you to, before you start the application process, take a moment to really be proud of yourself. Keep in mind what you have to offer and the impact you want to make when completing applications and scholarship esssays.
In terms of other things you can do to put on your resume, think of what field you want to be in and if there are opportunities that can give you exposure to that field. (ie if you want to be an illustrator, can you shadow an illustrator or enter an illustration competition?). This shows initiative in your field.
Last thing... keep in mind that scholarships are available and many go unclaimed. Applying is the first step.
Narrow down field of interest
Get experience in this area through volunteer/ internships
Look into college programs & leadership oppertunities
Tie opportunities & interests to action items to set a vision statement in applications
Way to go for looking ahead and preparing for college applications! The answer on this depends on a lot of factors, some of which are what degree/area you're interested in and the schools' requirements. One thing to keep in mind is that colleges are not only looking at how you've performed in the past, but also how your past experiences could potentially set you up to make an impact in the future. Look it at this lens: what can you bring to the campus that could help THEM benefit in some way. If it's being super skilled musically as you mentioned, try diving deeper into that and seeing what types of leadership opportunities they have in that department. When writing application essays you can hone in on how you want to make an impact and tie in your past experience as support.
If you want to pursue a certain career path, think of how you want to make an impact in that field and share your vision. This shows colleges you have the potential to do work that could bring them potential prestige or even funding. It sounds like you've already put in a lot of really great work during high school, and I urge you to, before you start the application process, take a moment to really be proud of yourself. Keep in mind what you have to offer and the impact you want to make when completing applications and scholarship esssays.
In terms of other things you can do to put on your resume, think of what field you want to be in and if there are opportunities that can give you exposure to that field. (ie if you want to be an illustrator, can you shadow an illustrator or enter an illustration competition?). This shows initiative in your field.
Last thing... keep in mind that scholarships are available and many go unclaimed. Applying is the first step.
Blakely A. recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Elliot’s Answer
Work hard and produce QUALITY work. I assure you if your work is consistently good, you will get noticed. Good luck!
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Avirup’s Answer
The key to making colleges notice you is the same as making people notice you. You have to do something interesting, something that screams you. Focus on your passion, if you like drawing for example, do everything to do with desgin and art and try to extend to your community. Honing your skills alone is not enough you have to share it with others, whether that be through social media or in person interactions.
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Anah’s Answer
Hi Emily. You should create a resume. List all your extracurricular activities and duration. Also, you can list your major. Explain to the colleges why it is important that you should attend there. Also, try to volunteer or do an internship. Hope this helps.
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Emily !
It is great that you are preparing for college admissions, but since you do not know the particular people who will be reviewing your application, there's no way to tell "how" to get someone to notice you. When you submit the application in full, it will be reviewed by people you do not know and they will make a determination based on their admission rate and the content of your application.
You haven't mentioned what you would be majoring in or which school you intend to apply to. That would be pertinent information if you are planning for college application. Most academic colleges for non-performing majors do not require an audition. What will your major be and which college is it ? Are all of the clubs you've joined at school or volunteer work in the community ? Whatever you are doing will add greatly to your application information. Colleges want to see that you have community involvement, participated in groups of a particular subject in high school and it is always great to get some leadership skills by way of extracurriculars.
Read the catalog or website of the college that you intend to apply to. If it's Julliard, yes, you would probably have to audition with a performance in your concentration. If it is an academic state or private college, and you will have a science, history, tech or other non-performance major, chances are you will not be asked to "audition". Follow the application process exactly as the colleges require, leaving nothing blank and not adding anything extra that they did not ask for. Even some academic colleges do not ask music or acting majors to audition. If you ask more questions, let us know what major and school(s) you are thinking about. Do not include anything extra in your application package.
You can do volunteer work, obtain a part time job or an internship depending on how much longer you have in high school. You can relax about feeling like you haven't done enough. Good grades and your extracurriculars are what is expected. You may also find out at the college websites what their acceptance rates are if you are concerned about being accepted. Think about going for some certifications in your interest or getting basic First Aid and CPR certification. The more specific you are about your interests, the better the advice from me can be. Do a search online for certifications in a subject you are interested in. I've left a link for you below with some, but there are probably many more for you to choose from. You can also take online trainings and classes in various subjects online that will enhance your high school education. Maybe subjects that you can find online that your high school does not offer.
If you are going to apply to performing arts colleges, definitely read what the requirements are for applying. Hopefully you'll be able to choose some colleges that have a high acceptance rate, but I would not worry about it. Concentrate on activities, trainings and volunteer work in the filed you want to pursue.
I hope that this is a bit of help and I wish you all the best moving forward !
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It is great that you are preparing for college admissions, but since you do not know the particular people who will be reviewing your application, there's no way to tell "how" to get someone to notice you. When you submit the application in full, it will be reviewed by people you do not know and they will make a determination based on their admission rate and the content of your application.
You haven't mentioned what you would be majoring in or which school you intend to apply to. That would be pertinent information if you are planning for college application. Most academic colleges for non-performing majors do not require an audition. What will your major be and which college is it ? Are all of the clubs you've joined at school or volunteer work in the community ? Whatever you are doing will add greatly to your application information. Colleges want to see that you have community involvement, participated in groups of a particular subject in high school and it is always great to get some leadership skills by way of extracurriculars.
Read the catalog or website of the college that you intend to apply to. If it's Julliard, yes, you would probably have to audition with a performance in your concentration. If it is an academic state or private college, and you will have a science, history, tech or other non-performance major, chances are you will not be asked to "audition". Follow the application process exactly as the colleges require, leaving nothing blank and not adding anything extra that they did not ask for. Even some academic colleges do not ask music or acting majors to audition. If you ask more questions, let us know what major and school(s) you are thinking about. Do not include anything extra in your application package.
You can do volunteer work, obtain a part time job or an internship depending on how much longer you have in high school. You can relax about feeling like you haven't done enough. Good grades and your extracurriculars are what is expected. You may also find out at the college websites what their acceptance rates are if you are concerned about being accepted. Think about going for some certifications in your interest or getting basic First Aid and CPR certification. The more specific you are about your interests, the better the advice from me can be. Do a search online for certifications in a subject you are interested in. I've left a link for you below with some, but there are probably many more for you to choose from. You can also take online trainings and classes in various subjects online that will enhance your high school education. Maybe subjects that you can find online that your high school does not offer.
If you are going to apply to performing arts colleges, definitely read what the requirements are for applying. Hopefully you'll be able to choose some colleges that have a high acceptance rate, but I would not worry about it. Concentrate on activities, trainings and volunteer work in the filed you want to pursue.
I hope that this is a bit of help and I wish you all the best moving forward !
Michelle recommends the following next steps: